RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia lawmakers have passed a bill limiting social media use for kids and teenagers under the age of 16.
The legislation, passed just days before the end of the General Assembly session, seeks to address concerns over the impact of social media on children’s mental health and attention spans.
"Study after study has shown that too much time on social media is hurting our kids," said House Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth).
The bill puts a one-hour limit per social media platform for kids under 16 years old. Parents have the authority to adjust this limit. This new approach replaces an earlier version that would have banned addictive feeds for those under 18. This version was approved by the Senate, but rejected by the House of Delegates.
Watch related coverage: Should Virginia pass laws to protect kids from addictive social media?
Lawmakers said they changed the focus of the bill because legislation similar to the original language is facing legal challenges in other states.
"It gets at the same issue. It gets at that issue of kids just spending their whole day online, right? And because they're spending their whole day online, they're losing their attention span. They're losing their academic success," said Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico). "This legislation, I think, is a really good first start, a first attempt at really trying to put some guardrails on so we can succeed."
Republicans in the House of Delegates voted unanimously in support of the legislation on Thursday but also said more could have been done on the issue this session.
"I would love it to go further, but I'm also not going to spurn a step in the right direction when we've when it's been such a struggle to get anywhere," said Del. Mark Earley (R-Chesterfield), who sponsored legislation that would have required parental consent for kids to create a social media account. "Am I disappointed that we haven't gotten more done this session and last session? I am. My bill, and a lot of other bills, frankly, didn't even get a hearing on this sort of thing. But, I'm going to get over that and welcome other folks into the fray on this and try to do now what we can for our kids."
Democrats, who control both chambers of the General Assembly said, similar to why they changed the language in this bill, other legislation was not considered because of the unknowns around lawsuits and federal rules on social media, but added they will continue to look at this issue in the year's ahead.
"This is a big step, but it won't be the last. We have more work to do," said Scott.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-Virginia) has voiced concerns about social media use among children, including in his State of the Commonwealth address and his "Reclaiming Childhood" initiative. His office stated that he would review all legislation that reaches his desk.
The bill is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2026, provided it receives gubernatorial approval.
What do you think about this bill? Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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